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of execution on foot, and, so firm was his step, so erect his posture, so undismayed his look, that it was said by some of the spectators, that he moved on, more like a general with his army to a triumph, than like a culprit to his death. Yet there was no unbefitting expression on his features; the brow, naturally severe, we are told by an eye witness, was now mild; and tho' there was a "dejection becoming contrition for sin," yet the expression of unaffected, undaunted courage was still predominant. The following beautiful prayer was offered up on the scaffold by Dr. Carr who attended him. It is taken from the Harleian Mss., vol. 4630, fol. 680.

Most Glorious Lord God in Jesus Christ most mercifull and loving Father, we thy poor unworthy servants do here in all humility present ourselves before thee to offer up this our last sacrifice of prayer and application. We commend unto Thee this church and state wherein we live, our gracious King, Queen, and Royal Progenie, the Lords of the Privy Council, the High Court of Parliament now assembled the great council of this kingdom, beseeching thee to direct all their consultations to thy glory, the tranquillity of Church and Kingdom.

Next Lord we commend unto Thee that family, that house, that family which is now ready to be left desolate, that wife which by and by shall want a husband, those children which by and by shall want a father, those servants which by and by shall want a master; O blessed Lord be thou a husband to that widow, a father to those orphans, be thou a master to those servants.

Lastly we commend unto Thee that soul, that spirit, which thou hast breathed into that earthen vessell, into this mortal body, thou art now calling for it by the hand of Justice, the axe is ready to be laid to the root of the tree to hew it down, we meeklie give it up and resign it into thy hands, as into the hands of a faithful Creator, once the soul was washed

in the water of baptism, in the laver of regeneration, and then it came clean from the washing, but it hath been soyld too often since that time in the muddy passages of this sinful life, we have done what we could to cleanse it, our heads have been fountains, our eyes seldom day, many a night have we watered our bed our couch with our tears: Lord thou art now our last refuge, we beseech thee take this soul and wash it over again in the precious blood of that immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus: soe that it may be without spott presented unto thee.

Thou hast commanded us to ask, and promised to give; Lord we are now asking, we pray thee give unto us; Thou hast commanded us to seek, and promised we shall find, Lord we are now seeking, Lord we pray thee let us find, Thou hast commanded us to knock and promised to open, Lord we are now knocking at the gate of heaven, we pray thee open the door of mercy to us. The prodigall son is now returning homewards being weary of the husks of this world, O blessed Father look upon him afar off, come forth to meet him, fall upon his neck and kiss him, put upon him the best robe the righteousness of Christ and the wedding ring, Lord open heaven to him in this great tryall, Lord receive him to thyself and let him for ever rest with thee in heavenly glory, and that for the mercy of him in whom alone thou art well pleased even Jesus Christ the righteous, in whose name we further call and cry unto thee saying as he himself hath taught us in his holy Gospel

Our Father which art in heaven, &c.

When the King himself was brought to the scaffold a few years after, he publicly attributed his own fate, to be a just retribution for his compulsory assent to the death of Strafford. He said "Yet for all this, God forbid that I should be so ill a Christian as not to say, that God's judgements are just upon me. I only say this, that an unjust sentence that I suffered to take effect, is punished now by an unjust sentence upon me."

It would be irrelevant in this short sketch of the life of Strafford to enter into any critical examination of the various acts of his busy life, or of his system of political economy, this has already been done, as an old quaint writer saith, "above a thousand of the most notable authors in Europe, have employed their pens in delineating his amiable genius." Like his fellow martyr, the good Archbishop Laud, he fell a sacrifice to the Church and King, a victim to make an atonement for a sinful, turbulent, and distracted nation.

The following letter to Archbishop Laud is exceedingly interesting, written from Gawthorpe Hall.

May it please your Grace.

I am gotten hither to a poor house I have, having been this last week almost feasted to death at York In truth for anything I can find, they were not ill pleased to see me. Sure I am, it much contented me, to be amongst my old acquaintance, which I would not leave for any other affection I have, but to that which I both profess and owe to the person of his sacred Majesty.

Lord! with what quietness in myself could I live here, in comparison of that noise and labour I meet with elsewhere; and I protest put up more crowns in my purse at the year's end too. But we'll let that pass. For I am not like to enjoy that blessed condition upon earth. And therefore my resolution is set to endure and struggle with it, so long as this crazy body will bear it, and finally drop into the silent grave, where both all these (which I now could, as I think, innocently delight myself in) and myself are to be forgotten; and fare them well. I persuade myself exuto lepido I am able to let them down very quietly, and yet leave behind me, as a truth not to be forgotten, a perfect and full remembrance of my being your Grace's most humbly to be commanded

Gawthorp, this 17th of August, 1636.

WENTWORTH.

SIR JOHN CUTLER.

On the disposal of the Earl of Strafford's property Sir John Cutler became the purchaser of the Harewood estates.

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Sir John Cutler's name derives no lustre from his ancestors, as he came from a family whose descent and arms are not to be traced at the Herald's College. His father

was a member of the Grocers' Company, and was engaged in commercial pursuits, but whether Sir John was his eldest son, or whether he inherited any fortune from him, I have been unable to discover. Sir John was established in London as a merchant, and in that capacity obtained great celebrity, as well as wealth, and his opinions it appears were respected and esteemed, for Pepys, a man of acute observation and insight into the characters of individuals, makes the following mention of him. “23 Jan., 1662. Mr. Grant and I to a coffee-house where Sir John Cutler was; and he did fully make out, that the trade of England is as great as ever it was, only in more hands, and that of all trades there is a greater number than ever there was, by reason of men's taking more prentices. His discourse was well worth hearing."

His attachment to his legitimate sovereign, and to the ancient institutions of the country, induced him to take an active part in the measures adopted in London for bringing about the Restoration, by promoting subscriptions raised for the use of Charles II. His important services on the occasion were duly appreciated by the King, who shewed his sense of them by creating him a Baronet, in November, 1660. At a later period he obtained a grant of arms from the Herald's College, attached to which is the following pedigree of his family, extracted from Le Neve's Ms. Pedigrees of Baronets, vol. 3, in the College of Arms, and which is considered an official document.

CUTLER.

Sir John Cutler, of London, Knt. and Bart, had a grant of arms 27 March, 1693, in the fifth year of our Sovereign Lord and Lady William and Mary, by Thomas St. George, Clarencieux King-at-Arms.

Elizabeth daughter and co.heir of Sir Thomas

Foot, of London, Knt. and Bart.

Sir John Cutler, Citizen

and Grocer of London,
created Baronet 12

September, 1660. He
died 15 April, 1693,
being 85 years old, and
was buried in St. Mar-
garet's Church, West-
minster.

Elizabeth married to Sir
William Portman, of
Orchard, Somerset,
Bart. She died with-
out issue, before the
death of her Father.

First Wife Eliza, daughter of Sir Thomas Tipping, of Wheatfield.Com: Oxon: Knt.

Elizabeth only daughter
and heir, married to
Charles Bodville Ro-
bartes, Earl of Radnor.
She died without issue
in 1696.

After Sir John's purchase of this property he resided at Gawthorpe Hall, and tradition says, lived a life of miserly penuriousness and seclusion, having no female

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